71: percentage of shoppers who say high-quality produce very important

64: percentage of shoppers who say a great selection very important

64: percentage of shoppers who say sales or specials very important factor in their store selection

47: percentage of shoppers wh say a fast checkout very important

34: percentage of shoppers who say very important that a store have fresh food or a deli

17: percentage of shoppers who say it’s very important to them that a store carries natural or organic products

Sources: Booz and Company, Food Marketing Institute

Barons Market

Barons Market began in Point Loma in 1992 as a wine store, and gradually evolved into a market for shoppers looking for natural and specialty food at a great value, with an emphasis on local and organic products. In recent years, it has also narrowed its wine selection in exchange for a larger inventory of local and hard-to-find craft bears. President Joe Shemirani’s philosophy is that he won’t do anything unless he believes he can do it better than everybody else.

Four locations: Point Loma, Rancho Bernardo, Temecula and Wildomar

No. of employees: 120

No. of products: 9,000 compared with a traditional supermarket’s 40,000

For people who like to cook with wholesome foods but still operate on a budget, grocery shopping can mean hours of couponing and price comparisons, followed by stops at several stores to get the best deals on otherwise expensive products.

But a San Diego-based grocery chain aims to do that work for its shoppers by bucking national trends and offering — get this — fewer options.

Every Thursday, managers for Barons Market’s four locations gather at the flagship store in Point Loma to taste potential new products.

Nothing goes on the shelves without approval from this committee of about 25 managers who for two hours each week put on their consumer hats and screen for not only the best flavor, but the best value. For Barons, that means a high-quality and healthful product at a lower price point than shoppers will find at so-called health-food stores.

They’re tough customers, too. If a new hummus doesn’t offer a bigger bang for the shopper’s buck in some way than one already on the shelf, it doesn’t make the cut. If it meets the criteria, the managers may drop one of the brands they’re already carrying. In a tasting of 100 items, the panel might approve two or three.

That’s because President Joe Shemirani wants his stores small and their inventory limited.

His strategy is counterintuitive in a market driven by comparison and choice.

But Shemirani argues that this is where Southern California’s desire for organic, gluten-free and local products meets the societal craving for convenience and efficiency.

People love the food they can find at farmers markets, he said, but most don’t have the time to go to one. And in a time-obsessed culture where every minute counts, they don’t always have the time to navigate the aisles of a larger supermarket to compare product labels and prices, either.

The typical grocery store is between 50,000 and 60,000 square feet, but Barons Markets average 15,000 square feet. Standard supermarkets carry between 45,000 and 50,000 items. Barons carries about 9,000, in an effort to give what marketing manager Rachel Shemirani says is a more satisfying shopping experience.

Customers can get overwhelmed by too many choices and leave the store feeling they made an imperfect choice, she explained — an effect analysts call “consumer confusion,” which can lead to another effect: ”grocery guilt,” the sense that one sacrificed quality to save a few dollars, or vice versa.

That’s why Barons does the comparing and makes most of the decisions for its customers.

“The options thing is a gimmick” Joe Shemirani said. “Costco carries 4,500 items. Trader Joe’s has less than 3,000 items, we carry 9,000. It is our job as agents for the customers to do our research and find the best value for them so they trust us.”

Trust is a critical part of his strategy, in light of numerous national surveys that show grocery shoppers are still in value-seeking mode. They have to believe that what’s on the shelf is indeed the best product for their needs, and at the best price. That’s because Barons doesn’t do sales, coupons or club cards.

Shopper Larry Zeiger lives nearby and says he visits the Point Loma store three to four times a week. He appreciates not having to cut coupons or load deals onto a club card.

The Barons selection, though limited, is great, he said, and the prices are good.

“I know that what they have selected is the best and the best price,” he said. “If there are certain products that have bad ingredients, they usually don’t carry them. That’s why they probably may not have as big a selection as Ralphs or Vons, but I can always find things that they have at other stores that are more health-food oriented, and the price is going to be significantly cheaper.”

The panel monitors buying trends closely, and people looking for a specific item can make their request to the food committee. The committee will then compare the brands and pick two or three that they think their shoppers will like.

Shemirani said the combination of a relatively small store and limited, but intensely vetted selection gets customers in and out faster.

“That allows them to shop in here between three and five times a week because they want everything fresh, and then they can go to Costco once a month to pick up their major nonperishables and paper products,” he said.

Industry research analyst Jeffrey Cohen with IBISWorld said Barons’ model is unusual in a market where grocery stores gravitate toward larger footprints and wider selections of the one-stop-shop variety.

But the Barons chain isn’t the only one trying to merge the wholesome and the convenient.

Alex Siskos, vice president of business insights at Crossmark, told The Shelby Report, a leading publication for the food and grocery industry, earlier this year that now is the time for food retailers to leverage health and wellness in stores.

“Enhancing fresh food offerings in a unique and compelling way, as well as providing more overall convenient, immediate solutions for shoppers will be key growth enablers,” he said.

Traditional supermarkets are responding to the demand by stocking more fresh produce, especially organic, Cohen said, along with gluten-free products and locally grown options.

Larger chains, too, are finding their own ways to maximize convenience for consumers, with in-store pharmacies, online platforms for couponing, mobile applications with up-to-the-minute sale information, and self-checkouts to get customers in and out faster.

Ralphs has even installed a high-tech system that constantly monitors the number of people in its stores and uses an algorithm to calculate how many checkout lanes should be open at a given time.

Many are also adding deli and salad bars featuring freshly prepared gourmet foods that depart from the standard chicken-finger fare in the delis of last decade. Like its larger competitors, Barons has a gourmet food bar.

But big stores have one advantage when it comes to convenience, Cohen pointed out: Being a one-stop shop is its own form of convenience. Running your afternoon errands and need a pick-me-up? You can always grab a cappuccino from the in-store Starbucks. Their broad selections also give big-box markets another edge, he said, because housing a wider inventory allows for impulse purchases.

Cohen said that while niche stores like Barons may do well in certain neighborhoods, he doubts they will replace traditional supermarkets. Food Marketing Institute data show that one-quarter of shoppers visit small-format stores for either the value, assortment or convenience, but only 2 percent consider them to be their primary grocery stop.

Shemirani won’t share his sales numbers, but says he is seeing double-digit growth year over year.

“Bottom line: We really believe in simplicity,” he said. “We keep it simple and really, really deliver value to the customer. When I say value, value is not just the price. Real value is that shopping experience, coming here, trusting us, making it quick and making it satisfying.”